GLOBAL – JULY 2011 – During a crash in the world’s economy, more people attempt to be smarter about financial decisions. By using similar strategies, two very different companies have capitalized on the public’s demand for honesty in business to promote their products.
In April of this year, Coca-Cola came out with a new addition to their Open Happiness campaign in Peru. “The Wallet of Happiness” project by McCann Erickson, Peru uses the idea of honesty to promote the Coca-Cola brand. The concept is simple: a wallet with $100 is placed on the ground, and those who return it are rewarded with a celebration and a cold Coke, stating that honesty and the Coca-Cola brand are synonymous.
More recently, National Australia Bank’s Honesty Experiments campaign promote an honest credit card plan. Mango PR paired with NAB to produce a three-part campaign, summed up best by its tagline: “Australians are an honest lot. They deserve credit cards to match”. Impactful as in NAB’s previous Break-Up Campaign, which was awarded the Grand Prix in PR at the Cannes Lions Festival, these videos (Lost Wallet, above, Leaky Pockets and Incorrect Change) showcase the importance of honesty to both NAB and its clients.
Honesty in any business is a way to ensure loyalty in customers. Having a product that delivers what it advertises shows the consumer that the product is reliable, as is the case with NAB and Coca-Cola. But is there palpable success in promoting honesty? Being top brands, Coca-Cola and NAB, have nothing to lose by championing good deeds.
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